"Claim of Excessive Force with 5-Year-Old Child Lying with Arms Crossed... Police Deny Allegations as 'Unfounded'"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Police officers at a district police station in Gwangju denied allegations of excessive force against a 5-year-old child.

Today (the 11th), a district police station under the jurisdiction of the Gwangju Bukbu Police Station stated that they are discussing countermeasures regarding the parents' claim that police officers used excessive force on a 5-year-old child during the fingerprint registration process for missing child prevention.

On the 8th, a woman identifying herself as the child's mother, Ms. A, posted a message titled "Please help. My 5-year-old child was subjected to excessive force by police officers" on an online community. Ms. A wrote, "Around 2 p.m. on the 4th, while passing in front of a district police station in Gwangju, my child, who had become sensitive to the recently changed environment, hit me," and added, "I asked a police officer nearby to scold the child."

Ms. A continued, "The police officer guided us to register the child as a missing person, so we went inside the district police station and filled out the paperwork," and "Since it was the first time the child had been to the station, the child, startled, hit me again." However, Ms. A stated, "When the child caused a disturbance, the police officer shouted and treated the child like a criminal," adding, "They said, 'Whether you take the child to the hospital or handle it at home, what is this behavior?'"

Ms. A claimed that the police officers restrained the child by crossing the child's arms and pressing the whole body down, and despite the child repeatedly saying they could not breathe, they did not release the child. She also attached photos showing injuries, stating, "The child had wounds on the knees and bruises around the ankle."

However, the police expressed that they feel "unfair" about Ms. A's claims. The chief of the district police station where the controversy arose explained, "The child caused a disturbance inside the district police station and tried to run outside to the road, so the staff restrained the child," adding, "It was not excessive force but an attempt to protect the child, and it seems the injuries occurred as the child resisted." He further clarified, "When the child caused a disturbance, we only recommended visiting a child counseling center and did not verbally abuse the child."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.